American men are in a friendship recession. Compared to a few decades ago, five times as many men have no close friends. So what’s going on? In this episode of Embodied, host Anita Rao talks with Mark Pagán, creator and host of the podcast “Other Men Need Help,” about what makes close friendships among men so fraught — and what we can do about it. They talk about everything from why Mark loves secret handshakes to his ongoing journey of making himself say the hard stuff out loud.

Meet the guest: Mark Pagán is the creator and host of the podcast "Other Men Need Help" and writes the substack "Other Men" Read the transcript. More episodes of Embodied are available here: https://www.wunc.org/show/embodied

This week, meet Corinne, a teen who makes "Final Destination" look like a chill day out. After a car packed like a clown car met a tree at high speed, she was launched out the window (note to self: wear your seatbelt, kids ), broke a laundry list of bones, and then casually had a stroke in the ambulance for an encore. The paramedic? Looked "terrified". Corinne spills on surviving the unsurvivable, relearning to talk (with a little help from Taylor Swift ) at the amazing IWK Health Centre, and why graduating high school is her biggest flex – mostly because she’s "done with science and math". It's a story of insane resilience and why you should support the IWK Telethon.

For more info on the IWK Telethon.

You can watch this entire episode over on YouTube.

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Feeling like 'self-care' is just another word for avoiding your problems? Psychologist Dr. Emily Anhalt joins the boys to unpack the concept of Emotional Fitness — a proactive approach to mental health that involves leaning into discomfort, not away from it. Discover the 7 traits of emotionally fit people (including mindfulness, resilience, and playfulness!) and learn practical 'emotional push-ups' you can do daily to build strength, even when it sucks. Dr. Anhalt breaks down why waiting until 'shit hits the fan' isn't the best strategy, how to reframe negative self-talk by talking to your 'inner five-year-old', and why true growth comes from embracing the uncomfortable. Get ready to flex your feelings and ditch the B.S. self-care trends.

Be sure to check out Dr. Ahalt's new book: https://www.dremilyanhalt.com/book

You can watch this entire episode over on YouTube!

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